--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Positive thinking founded on denial may…" description: "\"“Positive thinking founded on denial may not be so great.”\" — Ursula K. Le Guin" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d24/ursula-k-le-guin-138_denial_positive-thinking-founded-on-denial-may_3159637.jpg" --- # Positive thinking founded on denial may not be so great. ![“Positive thinking founded on denial may not be so great.” quote by Ursula K. Le Guin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d24/ursula-k-le-guin-138_denial_positive-thinking-founded-on-denial-may_3159637.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d24/ursula-k-le-guin-138_denial_positive-thinking-founded-on-denial-may_3159637.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d24/ursula-k-le-guin-138_denial_positive-thinking-founded-on-denial-may_3159637.jpg) > ““Positive thinking founded on denial may not be so great.”” [Ursula K. Le Guin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ursula-k-le-guin/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Denial‑based optimism can blind us to reality, limiting growth and resilience. **In simple terms:** Blind optimism harms progress. Key Takeaway Balance optimism with realistic awareness. Themes optimism denial growth Mood reflective cautious Type philosophical advisory When to use this quote - personal development - leadership - mental health Key Concepts cognitive bias self‑deception Questions to Reflect On - How does denial shape your outlook? - When is caution more valuable than positivity? A Different Perspective Over‑optimism may cause reckless decisions. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Denial](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/denial/) [Denial Great](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/denial-great-4337181/) [Founded Denial](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/founded-denial-5706645/) [Positive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/positive/) [Positive thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/positive-thinking/) [Thinking Founded](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking-founded-5706646/) ## Related quotes > [She's probably in denial that she's a great big ball of insecurity and I'm quite well aware that I am one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/boy-george/she-s-probably-in-denial-that-she-s-a-great-big-ball-of-insecurity/) [Boy George](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/boy-george/) > [“It goes right back to the idea of the Power of Positive Thinking, which is so strong in America because it fits in so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ursula-k-le-guin/it-goes-right-back-to-the-idea-of-the-power-of-positive-thinking/) [Ursula K. Le Guin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ursula-k-le-guin/) > [Positive thinking will let you use the ability which you have, and that is awesome.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zig-ziglar/positive-thinking-will-let-you-use-the-ability-which-you-have-and/) [Zig Ziglar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zig-ziglar/) > [“Life is about accepting the challenges along the way, choosing to keep moving forward, and savoring the journey.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roy-t-bennett/life-is-about-accepting-the-challenges-along-the-way-choosing-to-keep/) [Roy T. Bennett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roy-t-bennett/) > [I believe in karma, and I believe if you put out positive vibes to everybody, that's all you're going to get back.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kesha/i-believe-in-karma-and-i-believe-if-you-put-out-positive-vibes-to/) [Kesha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kesha/) > [“Be where you are, stop over-thinking, and focus on what you are doing.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roy-t-bennett/be-where-you-are-stop-over-thinking-and-focus-on-what-you-are-doing/) [Roy T. Bennett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roy-t-bennett/) > [Positive thinking is so firmly enshrined in our culture that knocking it is a little like attacking motherhood or apple pie.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/srikumar-rao/positive-thinking-is-so-firmly-enshrined-in-our-culture-that-knocking/) [Srikumar Rao](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/srikumar-rao/) > [“We all have negative thoughts now and then, but we can choose not to dwell there and not to let them control us.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roy-t-bennett/we-all-have-negative-thoughts-now-and-then-but-we-can-choose-not-to/) [Roy T. Bennett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roy-t-bennett/) > [“There is something called positive thinking that people often confuse with hope. But it is different. Positive thinking is a state of mind, while…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stevan-v-nikolic/there-is-something-called-positive-thinking-that-people-often-confuse/) [Stevan V. Nikolic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stevan-v-nikolic/) > [“i hope that whoever you are wherever you are and no matter how you are feeling you will always have something to smile about.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sanober-khan/i-hope-that-whoever-you-are-wherever-you-are-and-no-matter-how-you/) [Sanober Khan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sanober-khan/) > [Dwelling on the negative simply contributes to its power.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/dwelling-on-the-negative-simply-contributes-to-its-power/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Instead of worrying about what you cannot control, focus your energy on what you can create.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roy-bennett/instead-of-worrying-about-what-you-cannot-control-focus-your-energy/) [Roy Bennett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roy-bennett/) > [My parents were always really positive and had me thinking I could do whatever I wanted to in wrestling or in life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cael-sanderson/my-parents-were-always-really-positive-and-had-me-thinking-i-could-do/) [Cael Sanderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cael-sanderson/) > [POSITIVE THINKING is not about expecting the BEST to HAPPEN. It's about expecting that whatever will happen it is for the best! :)](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jhoni-czhang/positive-thinking-is-not-about-expecting-the-best-to-happen-it-s/) [JHONI (Czhang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jhoni-czhang/) > [Positive thinking evokes more energy, more initiative, more happiness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/positive-thinking-evokes-more-energy-more-initiative-more-happiness/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## More by Ursula K. Le Guin > [“...I wore his blood for clothing, on my legs and thighs and hands: a dry, stiff, brown garment with no warmth in it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ursula-k-le-guin/i-wore-his-blood-for-clothing-on-my-legs-and-thighs-and-hands-a-dry/) [Ursula K. Le Guin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ursula-k-le-guin/) > [Translation is entirely mysterious. Increasingly I have felt that the art of writing is itself translating, or more like translating than it is like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ursula-k-le-guin/translation-is-entirely-mysterious-increasingly-i-have-felt-that-the/) [Ursula K. Le Guin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ursula-k-le-guin/) > [“Aeneas' mother is a star?" "No; a goddess." I said cautiously, "Venus is the power that we invoke in spring, in the garden, when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ursula-k-le-guin/aeneas-mother-is-a-star-no-a-goddess-i-said-cautiously-venus-is-the/) [Ursula K. Le Guin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ursula-k-le-guin/) > [“Meaning - this is perhaps the common note, the bane I am seeking. What is the Meaning of this book, this event in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ursula-k-le-guin/meaning-this-is-perhaps-the-common-note-the-bane-i-am-seeking-what-is/) [Ursula K. Le Guin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ursula-k-le-guin/) > [For fantasy is true, of course. It isn't factual, but it is true. Children know that. Adults know it too, and that is precisely…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ursula-k-le-guin/for-fantasy-is-true-of-course-it-isn-t-factual-but-it-is-true/) [Ursula K. Le Guin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ursula-k-le-guin/) > [“. . . chronosophy does involve ethics. Because our sense of time involves our ability to separate cause and effect, means and end. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ursula-k-le-guin/chronosophy-does-involve-ethics-because-our-sense-of-time-involves/) [Ursula K. Le Guin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ursula-k-le-guin/) > [“If both you and your plane are on time, the airport is merely a diffuse, short, miserable prelude to the intense, long, miserable plane…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ursula-k-le-guin/if-both-you-and-your-plane-are-on-time-the-airport-is-merely-a/) [Ursula K. Le Guin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ursula-k-le-guin/) > [“The author is not impartial. Dystopia is not tragedy.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ursula-k-le-guin/the-author-is-not-impartial-dystopia-is-not-tragedy/) [Ursula K. Le Guin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ursula-k-le-guin/) > [Between thought and spoken word is a gap where intention can enter, the symbol be twisted aside, and the lie come to be.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ursula-k-le-guin/between-thought-and-spoken-word-is-a-gap-where-intention-can-enter/) [Ursula K. Le Guin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ursula-k-le-guin/) > [I have no control over my writing. I have lots of good intentions, but no control. There's a story that wants to be told.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ursula-k-le-guin/i-have-no-control-over-my-writing-i-have-lots-of-good-intentions-but/) [Ursula K. Le Guin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ursula-k-le-guin/) > [“I did a lot today. That is, I did something. The only thing I have ever done. I pressed a button. It took the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ursula-k-le-guin/i-did-a-lot-today-that-is-i-did-something-the-only-thing-i-have-ever/) [Ursula K. Le Guin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ursula-k-le-guin/) > [To me the female principle is, or at least historically has been, basically anarchic. It values order without constraint, rule by custom not by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ursula-k-le-guin/to-me-the-female-principle-is-or-at-least-historically-has-been/) [Ursula K. Le Guin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ursula-k-le-guin/) > [“Hector had no virtue?” “Of course he did. He won all his battles, till the last one.” “We all do,” Aeneas remarked.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ursula-k-le-guin/hector-had-no-virtue-of-course-he-did-he-won-all-his-battles-till-the/) [Ursula K. Le Guin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ursula-k-le-guin/) > [“I was willing to believe him that most modern writing was trash, on the evidence that so much old writing was trash; but I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ursula-k-le-guin/i-was-willing-to-believe-him-that-most-modern-writing-was-trash-on/) [Ursula K. Le Guin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ursula-k-le-guin/) > [“Can women operate as women in a male institution without becoming imitation men?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ursula-k-le-guin/can-women-operate-as-women-in-a-male-institution-without-becoming/) [Ursula K. Le Guin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ursula-k-le-guin/) [Explore all 1,114 Ursula K. Le Guin quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ursula-k-le-guin/) ## More Denial quotes > [Because after you've crossed some lines, you just keep crossing them. And there's no escaping from constant escape. Distracting ourselves. Avoiding confrontation. Getting past…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-palahniuk/because-after-you-ve-crossed-some-lines-you-just-keep-crossing-them/) [Chuck Palahniuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-palahniuk/) > [A mistake doesnt make you a fool, but denying it surely makes you one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vikrant-parsai/a-mistake-doesnt-make-you-a-fool-but-denying-it-surely-makes-you-one/) [Vikrant Parsai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vikrant-parsai/) > [It is through suppression that hells are formed in us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-glaspell/it-is-through-suppression-that-hells-are-formed-in-us/) [Susan Glaspell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-glaspell/) > [Atheist’s denial of God’s existence needs just as much substantiation as does the theist’s claim; the atheist must give plausible reasons for rejecting God’s…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-copan/atheist-s-denial-of-god-s-existence-needs-just-as-much-substantiation/) [Paul Copan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-copan/) > [But we need to be very clear: because of our decades of collective denial, no gradual, incremental options are now available to us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naomi-klein/but-we-need-to-be-very-clear-because-of-our-decades-of-collective/) [Naomi Klein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naomi-klein/) > [What you try to bury just ends up burying you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-wagner/what-you-try-to-bury-just-ends-up-burying-you/) [Jane Wagner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-wagner/) > [Its up to any government to decide how to react to the denial of basic human rights anywhere in the world, including Egypt.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mohamed-elbaradei/its-up-to-any-government-to-decide-how-to-react-to-the-denial-of/) [Mohamed ElBaradei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mohamed-elbaradei/) > [“Research on organised abuse emphasises the diversity of organised abuse cases, and the ways in which serious forms of child maltreatment cluster in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-salter/research-on-organised-abuse-emphasises-the-diversity-of-organised/) [Michael Salter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-salter/) > [“Living in denial only makes finding the truth that much harder.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jules-f/living-in-denial-only-makes-finding-the-truth-that-much-harder/) [Jules F](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jules-f/) > [Sanity can take one of only two forms: that of ignorance, or denial.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/derek-r-audette/sanity-can-take-one-of-only-two-forms-that-of-ignorance-or-denial/) [Derek R. Audette](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/derek-r-audette/) > [Denial leads to closure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aruho-marwin-machiaveli/denial-leads-to-closure/) [Aruho Marwin Machiaveli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aruho-marwin-machiaveli/) > [People are in denial all the time, hiding things. If I tell you a racist or dirty joke and you laugh, you're telling me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-landau/people-are-in-denial-all-the-time-hiding-things-if-i-tell-you-a/) [Martin Landau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-landau/) > [It is not a question of who dances but of who or what does not dance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruth-st-denis/it-is-not-a-question-of-who-dances-but-of-who-or-what-does-not-dance/) [Ruth St. Denis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruth-st-denis/) > [What’s looming in the shadows of our ignorance and denial is a critique of civilization itself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lierre-keith/what-s-looming-in-the-shadows-of-our-ignorance-and-denial-is-a/) [Lierre Keith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lierre-keith/) > [“You can hold on to the smallest doubt and take comfort in it, stay in denial and go on with your carefree life, until…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenn-beck/you-can-hold-on-to-the-smallest-doubt-and-take-comfort-in-it-stay-in/) [Glenn Beck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glenn-beck/) [Browse all 1,463 Denial quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/denial/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Positive thinking founded on denial may not be so great.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Ursula K. 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